Leafs Flat & Floundering In Loss To Devils

If you were expecting the Toronto Maple Leafs to come out with their hair on fire after the comments of Anthony Stolarz on the weekend, then their performance in a 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils would be quite a disappointment, since it was more of the lacklustre inconsistency we have seen through seven games. 

After taking a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes on John Tavares’ fourth of the season, the Leafs resorted to form and fell asleep in the middle frame, allowing four second-period goals and never really managing to challenge the Devils in the third. Jack Hughes skated rings around Toronto in a hat trick performance, who looked slow and disinterested in their second straight loss on home ice. 

“We put ourselves in a hole, that’s been a concern this year. We don’t manage the game in the second period.” Leafs head coach Craig Berube said after the game.  “Our D are just standing in there, jumping in there, not reading what’s coming at them. We’re late sometimes with our reloads, and one of the biggest things is turnovers. But we’ve got to be smarter. They got to read the play. They can’t be going all out. (New Jersey) is a quick team; they’re a great transition team.

We talked about (them being) a good rush team. They’re going to blow out of the zone. (The)first period was fine. Second period, we didn’t follow it, and we shot ourselves in the foot.”

The Leafs are at a -6 goal differential in the middle frame this season, and after allowing five goals to the Devils, the club is tied for 27th in the NHL in goals allowed with 25 and their power play is floundering through seven games at a paltry 2 for 16 (12.5%).   

The goals against are not simply Stolarz, who at times has been brilliant, but his numbers are pedestrian as a defacto #1 starter (2-3-1, 3.01 GAA, .894 save %). The big netminder is undoubtedly better suited as a tandem goalie, but right now, Toronto does not have that option available to them and are forced to overuse the fragile 31-year-old until Joseph Woll returns from his leave of absence. 

To make matters worse for a club that is trying to find its identity defensively, the Leafs lost their best blueliner, Chris Tanev in the second to an upper-body injury. Berube indicated that Tanev could miss some time after the game, and at practice on Wednesday, seventh defenseman Philippe Myers skated with Oliver Ekman-Larsson, which is a strong indicator that Tanev could miss one or both of the back-to-back home-and-home weekend games against Buffalo.